RICERCA ITALIANA     

Basic studies on the interplay among climate, tectonics, and landscape evolution in southern Italy during the Quaternary

Università degli Studi di Bari

Abstract

The project aims to gain knowledge on mechanisms of climate, tectonics, and landscape evolution interaction and related feedback effects during Quaternary time. Although theoretical links have been established among climate, erosion and uplift, only few studies showing well-constrained correlations among the different geomorphic indexes representative of processes observable at relief scale, especially for the southern Apennines, are at present available. To fill up this lack of information, Bari, Basilicata and Florence universities research units aim to study the uplift and/or erosion rates in chain and foredeep areas from south Italy by means of geomorphological analyses integrated with mineralogical, geochemical, and isotopical analyses, the latter being aimed to estimate tectonic loading (in the axial zone of southern Apennines) and to define the weathering condition in different settings and time intervals during Pleistocene and Holocene.
These studies aim to compare uplift rates with erosional rates (specifically to define the steady-state conditions of the orogenic wedge) as well as to compare uplift/erosion rates with the paleoclimate setting in which erosion and uplift processes interacted. To get this objective, geological and geomorphological markers (paleosols, alteration profiles, erosional surfaces, and paleolandslides, from chain and foredeep areas) will be used, as well as information on the paleoclimatic evolution during late Quaternary times will be >>>

Principal Investigator

Federico BOENZI Università degli Studi di BARI

Research Objectives

In order to understand the interplay rules between climate, tectonics, and landscape evolution during late Quaternary times in the chain-foredeep system of southern Italy, the Bari,Basilicata and Florence University research units aims to study the uplift and/or erosion rates of Plio-Quaternary basins and surrounding relief located along the axial zone of southern Apennines and in some areas of the Bradano foredeep by means of geomorphological analyses integrated by mineralogical, geochemical and isotopic data.
These studies are aimed to compare uplift rates with erosional rates (specifically to define the steady-state conditions of the orogenic wedge, e.g. Willett & Brandon, 2002) as well as to compare uplift/erosional rates with the palaeoclimate setting in which erosion and uplift processes interacted. Information on the palaeoclimatic evolution during late Quaternary times will be obtained both by forward modelling and by applying Landscape Evolution Models (LEMs), and by the analysis of distribution of clay minerals in continental pelitic sediments, paleosols, and weathered horizons (Yuretich et al., 1999) developed in depositional and erosional surfaces of different age in key-areas from the southern Apennines and Bradanic foredeep.
Information deriving from the mineralogical and geochemical approach will be compared with those from morpho-stratigraphical and morphostructural observations to obtain a better definition of the interplay between climate and >>>

Timescale

24 months

National and international background

In the past few years the international scientific community devoted a big effort to assess the roles of tectonics and climate in mountain erosion. Tectonics sets the initial conditions by raising Earth's surface and, where active, renewing topography. Climate shapes the surface into its various landforms through its effect on rivers and glaciers. Past studies of tectonically active mountain ranges have suggested strong coupling and feedbacks between climate, tectonics and topography (England and Molnar, 1990; Summerfield, 2000; Burbank and Anderson, 2001). In particular, estimates of parameters useful for understanding evolutionary history of orogenic chains, especially values of both uplift and/or erosion rates and tectonic/sedimentary loading experienced by sedimentary successions, have gathered momentum during the last years, and nowadays represents a powerful tool in which scientists dealing with geosciences are strongly interested (Burbank and Anderson, 2001; Kirby and Whipple, 2001; Pazzaglia and Brandon, 2001; Willett and Brandon, 2002; Schiattarella et al., 2003, among others). The main reason of such interest is that by estimating such parameters a better definition of exhumation age, timing and modality of the most ancient rocks in orogens can be achieved. Further, a more exact genesis ascription of structural features of mountain chains, such as tectonic style in different geodynamic regimes, regional morpho-structural setting, tectonic meaning and opening >>>